Mechanical rectifier.



' 1,254,758. I Patented Jan.29,1918.

A. w. WiNIERBORNE. MECHANICAL RECTIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED 1UNE24. I916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET \f Witneses {V. WINTERBORNE. MECHANICAL RECTIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24. 1916.

1,254,758. Patented Jan. 29, 1918.

Witnesses Inventor b Attorneys smggs PATENT WILLIAM wmnnnonnnon sen nmromo, mnxns.

Tana-whom it may concern:

known that-I, ARTHURW. Wm'rennoniis, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio in the county of Bexar fiftend state "of Texas, have invented a vne zd iiia'ehine is in operation; itbeing understood,

however; that thepresent device can be-used for various-purposes.

' tis'the objectof the invention to provide of;rie'tifier *ofsimple, compactand inexpenj" -sit eonstruction,which can be readily intilledgand which-'will-serveits ofiice in a Qidroughlypractical and efficacious manner,

"other object'- of the invention is' the provisio n'of aJ-reetifier of the nature indicated novel circuit breaker for breaking tho circuit when' .the speed of the engine is fd'ebreased. belowpredetermined amount, jthereby-disconnecting'the magneto and stor- 5gb; fljfittery; 38" With the foregoing and other ob ects in view which will appear as the description roceeds; the invention resides in the con -Eination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter 'deiii-"scribed and claimed, it being understood tha't'ehan ges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made 'withinthe scope of what is claimed' without -"-'depai'ting-Q fromthe spirit of the invention. Theinvrition is illustrated in the aecorn panying draw-ings; wherein: 1 Figurel'is a front view of the rectifier. V Fig. 2'is a side elevation thereof, W "Fig.3 is a median section of the device 5!) taken on the line 3 5 of Fig. 1. portions hein' 'shown in elevation.

.iigl 4 is a front View illustrating the circuitbre'aker, portions being shown in sec- ---tion." Fig. 5 1s a side elevation of the device mncnnmcnn nncrmmn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an, 29, 1918,

Application filed June'24,1916. Seriallio.105,678.

illustrated in Fig. 4, showing the rectifier rings.

l fig. 6 is a diagrammatical view of the rectifier -.c'onnected with the ...magneto and storage battery. I

ln the fdrawings there. is illustrated the cover 1 ofthetimer-of e" Ford automobile, end 2- designates' the camshaft-"which in the presentinstanceis .employedas the driving shaft of the =rectifier. iThe cover 1 is provided with an opening 3=forthereception of the socketed hubd ofa'a spurgear 5 which hub' is threaded upon or otherwise engaged to the shaft 2. The gear 5hasawcentral outstanding pintle 6.

There is provided a'frame 7 for .the rectifier which is constructed of fiber or other insulating material; and it embodies a ring 8, a front strip 9-extendingdiametrically acrossthe ringr8, a'rearstrip' 10 extending diametrically across the rear. face of the ring, anda block II-bet-ween one end of the 'strip'10=and the ring 8,'= said parts being bolted or otherwise secured-together, and the frame 7 is=attached to the frame or other part of the-automobile,-to prevent the displacement or rotation of the frame 'l',- 'where- 'by said frame is normally-.held-in proper position.

iTheigear- 53is1disposed between the strip 10 and ring 8 remote from-the block 11, and

its hub-4 extends througlnan opening 12 in the strip 10,: while the pintle 6 projects into an' aperture 13 of the strip 91m ring 8.

An axle or arbor 14 is terminally engaged within the "strips 9 and 10 betwee n'their ends and centrallyof .the"ring, 8 ,==aud has mounted for rotation thereoiiitahspur gear 15 meshing'with the gear 5, the-hub 16 of the gear 15 being elongated-andmounted loosely upon the axle 14 with its ends abutting the strips 9 and 10. The hub.16 extends forwardly from the gen)? I5 which is located adjacent to the rear strip 10,-and 1 the hub 1.6 carries the rectifying means.

The rectifying means embodies a disk or flat. ring 17 mounted upon the hub 16 and hearing against the gear 15, and secured by means of rivets 18 or otherwise to said gear.

This rectifier ring 17 is grounded by way .of the gears 15 and 5 to the shaft 2 to which one terminal of the magnetoisgrounded. The periphery or margin of thcring 1;7- is provided with forwardly projecting segments 15L A second rectifier-wing 20 is-disa"; aid

posed in front of the ring 17 and is provided with rearwardly projecting segments 21 rejecting between the segments 19, wherey the segments of the two rectifier rings ala 6 ternate. The segments 19 and 9.1 are in sulatedir'om one another and from the opposite rings by the insulation 2-2, whereby the rectifier ring 20 is insulated 'from the ,shaft 2. i

I The ring Got the frainieis provided'with radiel. bores 21 arranged at the proper angle relative to one'another, whereby when a seg' ment'ofofie rectifier ring registers with one ,bore'21, a. segment of-the other ring registers 16 with the other bore? Carbon or other snitable, brushes 22 are sliclable within the inn'er; of the bores 21 to contact with the s'egmentq and screw lugs 23, are-threaded into the oilter ends 0 the bores 21am? also '29 serve ags bindin postsior the connection of the'eonductors leading-1o the opposite poles of thestorage battery B. Coiled wire ex- 'ansion'- rings 24am disposed within the res-21' etween the brushes 22 and plugs 25 23 for pressing-the brushes-into enga ement with the segments. The segments of t ie two rings engage alternately with the brushes Fitted against the ring or disk 17 and between the hub- 16 and segments is a ring 25 so-of insi lat tng material,

- annular 26, whereby said ring is of Qshaped section, as seen in Fig. 3, the back ring contacting with the disk or v r1 ngI7.- A metallic ring 27 is fitted upon the 35' oentrdl or hub portion of the insulating ring 25, anda'leaf spring brush 28 has its free terminal contacting continuously with the face'of the ring 27, said brush 28 being car: ried by a bin post 29' attached to the 4 a. bin m post 29 and brush 2s ar'emonnectedto the one terminal of the ma%n'eto M, whose other terminal is ground: ed 3* "way of the shaft 2 and gears and to the ring 17. I 4B A centrifugal circuit breaker is-used'for felectrically connecting and disconnecting the mug 27 and rectifier ring 20. Thus, the ring 27 is provided with areuate slots 30 accommodating arcunte eentrifngnl arms 31 piv oted at certain'ends upon pins 32 engaged through the ring. 27, whereby said arms 31 will swing outwardly by centrifugal force when the rectifier rings are rotatednbove a predetermined speed. The arms 31 are 56 forced inwnrdly by means of coiled wire expension springs 33 confined between the arms 31 and rim or outer portion of the insulating ring 25, said springs 33 being insulated from the rectifier rin 20. The arms 31 are pro- 60 vided between t eir ends with outstanding contacts 34 to contact with the inner edge oithe ring 20 when the arms are thrown out wardly by centrifugal force.

In operation, the rectifier rings 19-20, M insulating ring 25,:1nd rim;- 2? rotate e {1 provided with an unit with the gear 15 which is-in turn re tilted by the shaft 2, and the rectifier rings are rotated at the proper speed to kee in step with the magneto, whereby the rectifier -mqs are advanced one step for each change m-t he flow of the alternatin current; "When the engine is running slow ytbelow'n pre determined rate of speed, the centrifugal action will not be sufiic'ient to .Swing th arms 31.outwardly against the "tension'ofthe springs 33, and thg'ringfi'l'willjtherefore be dlsconnected from the rectifier i'ing 20, to break-or open the churgingfeircuit,

as will be apparent. However, WhH-tho speed of the engine is increased suflicientl the centrifugal arms 3L-willflyoutw y, and contact with the r' the rectifier automati y into joperetion so that the storage battery willbeby the magneto. During oneflwave'pfthe 86 a ternuting current, one brushp22-gcontactso with a segment 19 of the rectifier-ring 41? and theothel" brush 22 eonta tswi hpef-l' e ment' 2], of the insulating rectifier fing lfifif and when the magneto has tux-hedge --pro- "[0 duce an opposite wave ofthe-alterna current, the rectifier rings will hzw'e'advan one step whereby thefi'rst mentioned'bi'ush now engages a segmen't -21, while the'second. brush engages a se eat 19. Thus, "aszthe rectifier rings are a temately cha'r' "with positiye and negative current, sai rectifier rings rotate whereby the positively charged segments engage one brush22 only while the negatively other brush only, thus proy1 for a com tinuous flow of directclil'rent tween the bindin postsor plugs 23. Thus, hymn- 1 meeting the storage battery. to thecplugspr binding posts23; the storage is charged by, the ma etc. The present rectifier thus enables 0 Storage buwty-lbE'bfi charged by the magneto,whereb J can be had when the engine is i 0,;

as when the engine is running, for-lighting the-lamps of the machine-and Y thefstorago battery current can be used forotherpurposesalso. ":7

By letting the brush 28 contact'with the lECt-lfier ring 20,'thec'ii-cuit breaker is cut out, and the brushes 22 willbe charged-at any speed of rotation of the rectifierrlngs.

:rving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A mechanical rectifier com'pnsmg a. frame embodying a ring and strips at opposite sides thereof, a. gear mounted -for rotution-between said strips centrally of the ring, rectifier rings rotatable with sand gear within the first mentioned ring and having alternately arranged segments, brushes carriedby the first mentioned ring engageable with said segments, and a second gear mesh ing with the first mentioned gear and disposed between one strip and the first mencharged segments engage-the tioned ring, the second mentioned gear having a portion extending through saidstrip for attachment with a driving element.

2. A mechanical rectifier comprising a frame embodying a ring and front and rear strips extendlng across the faces thereof, an axle engaged with said strips centrally of the ring, a gear having a hub rotatable upon the axle and projecting forwardly from said gear, said gear being arranged adjacent the rear strip, a second gear meshing with the aforesaid gear and disposed between the rear strip and ring, the second gear having a pintle extending within said ring and a socketed hub extending through the rear strip for attachment to a driving shaft, a pair of rectifier rings carried by the hub of the first mentioned gear Within the frame ring and having alternately arranged segments, and brushes carried by the frame ring and engageable with said segments.-

3. A rectifier embodying a rotatable memher, a rectifier ring mounted thcreonancl having segments projecting therefrom, a second rectifier ring rotatable with said member and having segments projecting between and insulated from the aforesaid segments, brushes engageable with said segments, an insulating ring disposed between said rotatable member and segments, said insulating ring having an annular recess, a

metallic ringcarried by the insulating'ring Within said recess and second 'mentloned rectifier ring, a brush engageable with the metallic ring, and a centrifugal circuit breaker for connecting and disconnecting the metallic ring and second mentioned rectifier ring.

4:. A rectifier embodying a frame, an axle carried thereby, a gear mounted upon the axle and havin a hub projecting therefrom, a flat recti er ring mounted upon said hub and secured to'said gear, said ring having segments projectin from its marginal portion, a second rectifier ring having segments projecting between and insulated from the aforesaid segments, brushes carried by the frame engageable with said segments, an insulating ring of U-shaped section fitting between said hub and segments mentioned rectifier ring, a metallic ring fitted upon the central portion of the insulating ring and having arcuate slots, and

arcuate centrifugal arms pivoted to the last mentioned ring In said slots and swingable and having its back resting against the first 

